Wonderful wedding venues are plentiful in the UK, with everything from castles to manor houses, art deco hotels to listed buildings, lofty barn conversions to small country houses and everything in between. You may like to choose a particular setting that has significance for you as a couple, perhaps it is a location where you spent a few heady days together at the start of your relationship, or perhaps it has a family connection from years ago – there is a lot of choice so how do you start to narrow down your search?

First of all, this is a day when you can have the perfect setting as a backdrop so if you want to be beside the sea, in a forest, in a stately home with a four poster bridal suite, or in a simple room with all of the people you love, the most wonderful wedding venue is out there for you somewhere, so draw up a list of ideas

Have you set a firm date for the wedding or can you be flexible? this may help you to secure the wedding venue of your choice if you are not tied to a particular day. Your guests may not be free on a weekday, but you should be able to give them plenty of notice to make arrangements, and as lots of people work weekends as well, Saturday is not an automatic choice

Do you know how many guests you will have? Try to have an accurate figure in mind as this may affect which rooms you book at the venue

What is your budget for the wedding venue? Think about the total amount that you have allocated and look carefully to see what is included in any wedding package offered, then you can work out what other services you will need to pay for

Will you have exclusive use of the venue, or is there likely to be another wedding on the same day?

If you will need accommodation for guests is there a preferential rate offered and how soon do any room bookings need to be confirmed?

Does the wedding venue fit in with your chosen theme? It can look a bit odd if you have an elaborate dress at a simple venue, and vice versa, so make sure you think about where you will take photographs at the venue and how they will look, if you have lots of guests to invite this may dictate your final choice of venue as you will need space to accommodate large group shots

How helpful were the staff at the venue when you looked around? Having reliable people around on the day will make all the difference to how smoothly things run, so ask if they have any testimonials from other couples